Nephylim is a 5 piece melodic death metal band from ‘s-Hertogenbosch, Noord-Brabant, The Netherlands. The band has released the EP ‘Torn’ in 2015, followed by the full-length ‘Severance of Serenity’ in 2020. This new offering ‘Circuition’ which was released in March 2025, marks the band’s sophomore album, and it was released independently. I will introduce the band members as we dive into the review.
Composition
First order of business, ‘Circuition’ is a melancholic, emotional and immersive album. Aesthetically, a lot of it reminds me of several modern Swedish/Finnish melodic death metal bands such as newer Dark Tranquillity material, wolfheart and Insomnium. Thematically, the album is exploring the concept of “The Circle of Life”. The birth, the acquisition of consciousness, the struggle and the inevitable mortality. Even the artwork conveys this vision adequately, where mother nature (analogized with a tree) giving birth to an infant (resembling all human beings). Overall, the album is in the realm of modern melodic death metal with a lot of atmosphere.
The instrumental intro track ‘Travail PT1-Anima’ sounds epic, almost power metal-ish, as if it’s taken from a Rhapsody or a Blind Guardian album, but with a twist that fits the lyrical theme, which will be discussed in-depth later in the review. The second track ‘Travail PT2-Animus’ is a brilliant melodic death tune with many peaks and valleys. From the opening groove to the blast beat section, to the endless tasteful harmonies/melodies, and then to the slowed down mid section with clean guitar and synth, it all captivates the listener right away and puts them in the mood of the emotional/existential turmoil that the album is highlighting throughout.
The riffs on this album are insanely catchy. It contains tons of hooks and memorable passages. The song ‘Grand denial’ stands out for me. I love the riff and blast beat that kick off the song, and the groovy part that follows. Catchy as all hell! Speaking of groove, the album is filled with it. One of my favourite grooves is the opening riff to the closing track ‘Inner Paradigm’. It is an inevitable mosh-pit inducing riff. So infectious that you literally cannot escape nodding your head along with it, with the classic metal look on your face. Furthermore, The chorus of this song is a literal earworm. That groove and melody behind the rhythm section are addictive. I found myself humming it repeatedly while not listening to the album, which is always a good sign of a great hook.
One of the prevalent compositional aspects are the open chords layered with gorgeous guitar melodies or keyboard licks. This can be heard on tracks such as ‘Amaranth’ and the title track ‘Circuition’. Moreover, The trademark thrash/melodic death drums and the classic old school melodeath riffage on tracks like ‘Withered’ are also some of my personal favourites on the record. The riff in (2:48), accompanied with the classic polka drumbeat are so brutal, angry and satisfying. Additionally, the polyrhythmic composition between drums and guitars here are extremely clever. Moreover, One of the most interesting curve balls on this record for me was the proggy part in ‘Amaranth’ at the 3:16 mark, where it sounds like a riff derived directly from a ‘Dream Theater’ song. The polyrhythmic interplay between the guitars and drums is brilliant and shows more depth to the band’s compositional vision and skills.
In a nutshell, the album is loaded with dynamics. From merciless blast beats to infectiously groovy sections, and to slow doomy parts reminiscent of bands like Amorphis with the switch between growls and clean vocals on a couple of songs. Another element that adds to the diverse dynamics of the record is the clean guitar parts that provide serene yet devastating atmosphere and emotion. This frequent inclusion of clean guitars makes the album sound richer and denser. Moreover, the synth orchestrations and arrangements executed by guitarist ‘Kevin van Geffen’ add an undeniable layer of epic grandeur to the record. It makes the whole journey more dramatic and tumultuous. This is delineated on tracks such as ‘Travail PT2-Animus’ at the 3:32 minute mark. The staccato arrangements give this section an operatic and theatrical vibe. Definitely a wonderful track overall. In several parts on the album, the synth reminds me of newer Dark Tranquillity material, especially in the song ‘Amaranth’ (minute 2:28), with that extremely melancholic piano sound layered on top of the steady, open chord rhythm section.
Performance
Both guitarists (Kevin van Geffen) and (Ralph Lentink) are delivering the melodic death goods with brilliant creativity and tightness. The solos are dynamic and touching, and are executed thoughtfully and tastefully. To summarize my adjectives in one example; The closing licks on the title track ‘Circuition’ after the drums stop are heartbreakingly beautiful. Every note bend is so tastefully on point and literally gives you continuous goosebumps from note to note. The bends are accurate in pitch and precision, never sloppy nor out of tune. Just perfection. It definitely is one of my favourite parts on the whole album. Moreover, The acoustic parts heard on tracks such as ‘Withered’ are hauntingly sensational and are performed with utmost tightness by the guitarists. They add an undeniable layer of sadness and desperation to the overall sound of the album.
The prevalent vocal style performed by (Tijn Bosters) is the low growl that is reminiscent of several Finnish melodic death metal bands I’ve already mentioned above. However, there are other emotional midrange/high shrieks thrown here and there. This is showcased on minute 5:12 of the fantastic song ‘Grand Denial’. Brilliantly heartfelt screams and belts that send the good ol’ shivers down the spine. Moreover, there are also many double layerings of vocal “harmonies” where Tijs delivers some awesome growls and shrieks atop one another, which makes those sections incredibly rich. Furthermore, there are some surprising clean vocals on a couple of tunes performed by Kevin and Tijs. This is exemplified on the title track ‘Circuition’, where Kevin delivers an extremely tasteful vocal line. His timbre is reminiscent of Sweden’s legendary multi-instrumentalist/producer (Dan Swano) from bands like Edge of Sanity and ESPECIALLY Nightingale. Sensational vocal performance with superb pitch and tone, delivering the words with great ingenuity. Same thing can be said about the following track ‘Withered’, whose clean vocals are impactful and lend a great contrast with the harsh vocals that are prevalent on the song. The slowed down section at the end of minute 3 onwards gives the vibe (musically and vocally) of the prog band Soen, which is a definite bonus in terms of musical diversity.
The drum work by (Martijn Paauwe) is absolutely masterful throughout the record. His steady blast beats and clockwork-like grooves are impeccable. Moreover, little (yet extremely important) details and fills added on various occasions enrich the overall groove and dynamics of the songs. These tasteful little details can be heard on tracks such ‘Circuition’ minute 2:02, with the polyrhythmic offbeat pattern in relation to the keyboard work that accompanies it. Amazing job.
Lyrics
As mentioned in the beginning of the review, the album revolves around the concept of “The Circle of Life” since birth to death, and the strife that takes place in between. It is philosophical, poetic and certainly melancholic. For my money, the lyrics and the music are in perfect harmony. The artistic journey is definitely more complete when reading along and following the “cycle” of events. The instrumental intro track ‘Travail PT1-Anima’ captures the moment of conception of the soul. Anima is the irrational part of the soul, where everything is still abstract and absurd during birth. The tense feeling of labour, followed by the relief of giving birth. The synth arrangements perfectly and immediately puts the listener into the mood of the upcoming cycle of existence, and the turmoil ahead..
This concept is further accentuated in the second track ‘Travail Pt2-Animus’, with the lyrics; “Come into being.. Light meets the eye.. Encompassed sight.. A memoir.. Travail”, which capture the beginning of the rationalization and the materialising of the real world after we’re born. The instant clash with reality and the impact it has on our mind and soul. I think, if my analysis is correct, that this is an amazing portrait that the band has painted, very artistic, deep and poetic.
As we live and grow, the strife is magnified. Life starts to throw more tragic events at us and, in many cases, they render us empty. Lyrical passages such as “Perpetual chaos, disassembly piece by piece.. Disillusioned beyond grief.. Illness wreaks” from the song ‘Grand Denial’, and “Awoken, by the silence inside.. As perception will fade into night.. Lives lost, I’ve shed my colours.. As all daylight dies, I’m closer to home” from the title track ‘Circuition’ encapsulate this foggy, melancholic vibe and leave the listener in a state of hypnotic contemplation.
Another standout lyrical passage for me is the clean vocal part in ‘Withered’; “Slip away into dreadful being.. I have reached my destination.. A call to home.. Slip away into resentful healing.. I have reached my destination“. Absolutely captivating, and Kevin’s voice excellently conveys the emotions of struggle, loss, and desperation that permeate this cycle of life we all go through. We all feel that we are withering away as a consequence of all the burdens we carry along our journey.
Production
This album sounds grandiose, but at the same time there is an old school spirit to its production. Though it might have some compression, it still sounds a bit rough around the edges and not mechanical, which is a great thing. Ultimately, the production is very pleasant and smooth. The instruments and details shine. I love the delay on the lead guitars whether during solos or melodies. And I was particularly taken by a happy surprise during the song ‘Withered’ with that little “bassy” explosion that pops when the music stops at minute 1:22. It will definitely have a stronger impact if heard with a decent headset or earbuds. You can feel the weight of that low-end before the music blasts again. Brilliant.
Critique
A bone to pick, some parts of the songs sound familiar. And by familiar I mean that you feel like you’ve heard this riff/melody before. Overall, the album is loaded with original and surprising ideas. But in my opinion, this genre has become oversaturated and it’s a dangerous game to play this style and find a way to be completely unique. This is not to say ‘Circuition’ is not original or unique because it is. But for the sake of a fair review, sometimes the composition resorts to a familiar territory. I’ll just give an example that stuck with me, and that is the chorus of ‘Withered’. I couldn’t help but think I’ve heard these chord progressions and their muting dynamics before. They are very catchy, no doubt, but they go into a predictable and familiar zone compositionally (Think Amon Amarth and Newer Kreator approach). This doesn’t happen often on the album, but it does show up in a couple of places. They do not ruin the songs in any way, and they can be very crowd-pleasing live, but, again, one feels that they have been heard before.
In conclusion, Dutch melodic death troopers Nephylim have definitely delivered an outstanding sophomore album. Emotions, melancholy, rage, hopelessness and atmosphere all melting in one cohesive pot. Moreover, and though Nephylim are not colossally reinventing the wheel here, it is undoubtedly refreshing to hear this style of Swedish meets Finnish melodic death metal being executed by a Dutch band with excellence and utmost class. I’m certain that this album will advance the band’s career on a grander scale from now onwards.
Rating 9/10
Want to know more about Nephylim? Stay tuned for the interview we did with the band. You can also find them at their own website.
